Letter to Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers

I have in my possession many articles that were written by Charles but are too controversial to post on this site. However, if someone is interested in seeing the way in which Charles ruthlessly exposed many people in high places in Pine Ridge, I will be happy to forward them to you privately. Suffice to say, most of the corrupt politicians Charles sought to expose are no longer in positions of power and it is largely due to his efforts.

The corrupt council members retaliated by filing a Bar complaint against him. This letter pretty much sums up what was going on there.   The articles are well worth reading but it would be unfair to those who were targeted to suffer ongoing wrath by publishing them here. Write to me at ROSEPETL5@aol.com if you would like to receive them.

Students and Teachers Against Racism
PO Box 801
Fairfield, CT 06824
203-256-9720

Board of Bar Overseers
Mr. Terence Troyer
Assistant Bar Counsel
99 High Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02110

April 25, 2005

To whom it may concern:

I am writing on behalf of Charles Yow who is registered with the Massachusetts Bar Association and who has recently come under attack by a few members of the tribal council and judiciary system at Pine Ridge, South Dakota.

I have known Mr. Yow since September 2000, when I first approached him as a complete novice in Indian issues. I contacted him because I had been reading about serious offenses against Indians in this country and I wanted to do something, even though I didn't know how or what to do. Mr. Yow was unquestionably the most highly recognized Indian attorney so I was awed when he very happily offered to help me in any way he could and he introduced me to an issue I could become involved in.

A few months later, in January 2001, I began STAR, which has since grown to be a well recognized volunteer Civil Rights organization in South Dakota as well as having chapters in four other states. Without Mr. Yow's support and the lending of his name on our original press release, STAR would never have gotten off the ground. Mr. Yow has always given us free legal advice as he knew we were a volunteer organization, had no funding, and he believed in our cause, which is to help families of children who are suffering racism in schools.

During the last year and a half, Mr. Yow has become actively involved in STAR and I have helped him with the Red Cloud Law Firm whenever he called upon me to do so. Over the last (almost) five years, Mr. Yow has become a dear friend and I feel highly qualified to judge Mr. Yow's actions and character. Because much of my work has taken place in South Dakota, I am also very aware of the corruption in the tribal council and judiciary. I know that many tribal programs, like Head Start and Night Court, have been shut down for misuse of funds. I know for a fact that many children and elders go without decent homes or heat while corrupt tribal authorities are lining their pockets with misused grants and federal funds. Charles Yow finds this intolerable, as do I and almost anyone you might meet in Pine Ridge.

Many members of the various tribes in South Dakota will tell you that things have never been as bad as they are now. There is no question that the US Attorney and the BIA fully support this corruption. Are they doing it in order to watch the tribes fail that they may yet claim the land and resources, are they also lining their own pockets, or do they just not care? These are questions I cannot answer but they beg to be answered by someone.

These and many other problems have been getting worse over the last twenty years and have culminated in flagrant abuse of funds and a fast downward spiral in the quality of life for the people of Pine Ridge, and up until now, no one has known what to do about it. Unless one is heavily involved in the issues in SD, one cannot imagine the fear that people on Pine Ridge live with. There is the very real problem that people who say too much can end up dead. Anyone who has been involved in Civil Rights work in SD will tell you that death threats are to be expected, and people do die or disappear for trying to interfere with the status quo. My life as well as that of my very young daughter's life has been threatened due to my own work. Therefore, it comes as no surprise then that Mr. Yow is suffering every attack imaginable.

People in Pine Ridge are feeding him documented information that proves who has been stealing money and ignoring the codes. He has been writing a column for the Black Hills Peoples News and their circulation has more than doubled since he has begun to expose the corruption. Due to his columns, many of those who are the most responsible for corruption, including Mxxx Sxxxxxx and Lxxx Cxxx, are presently under investigation. If Charles were in South Dakota he could not be doing the work he can from Mississippi. People would be more afraid to come forward with information, and his life would unquestionably be threatened.

I hope this brief explanation into the ills of society in SD serves to encourage your faith in the importance of the work Mr. Yow has been requested to do by the honest members of the tribal council, judiciary, and executive committee as well as by the people of SD themselves. I know, and can say without any reservation, that the law is the most important thing in Charles life. It is all he is and all he stands for. He is not one who is an attorney to be in the business of getting rich. I have known him to accept a dead porcupine from an old Indian woman as payment for writing a will and Charles does more pro bono work than work that generates fees.   With your support, he is capable of exposing the corruption and cleaning up perhaps the most lawless place in our country.

Sincerely,

Christine Rose
Executive Director